Editor – Page 60 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Restoration complete on German American Building

Posted on May 8, 2017May 9, 2017

German American Building Exterior. Photo by Sarah Thomack

German American Building Lobby. Photo by Sarah Thomack

German American Building Boardroom and Office Space. Photo by Sarah Thomack

German American Building Vault. Photo by Sarah Thomack

(News Release) – Mosaic Life Care has completed restoration of the historic German American Building after more than two years of construction. The $20 million dollar project included crafting open concept office spaces with modern amenities while protecting the architectural and historic features of the building. Hundreds of Mosaic Life Care employees will move from the Heartland Health Business Plaza to the building located in downtown St. Joseph.

“Not only are we enriching the community of St. Joseph with the restoration of a beautiful building and investing in downtown St. Joseph, we are improving the experience for our employees with a unique workspace,“ said Mark Laney, MD, CEO of Mosaic Life Care.

The German American Building was constructed in 1889 and is on the National Historic Register. During construction, crews uncovered ornate columns and tiles and even opened a wall to discover a marble staircase. The five-story building was originally a bank and includes eight or nine safes or vaults. Employees have the option to use one of the vaults in the break area.

“The is an exciting time for downtown St. Joseph. The area is ripe with potential, and the community will continue to see progress as we move ahead with the new parking garage and retail complex. It’s a new era of revitalization,” Laney said.

Along with the German American Building at 624 Felix, three other properties are part of the downtown development. A building adjacent to the German American Building, currently with storefronts identified as 620 and 618 Felix, as well as parking lot areas on the northeast and southwest corners of 7th and Edmond.

Volunteers sought for Reading Adventure

Posted on May 8, 2017

(News release) – United Way is calling for volunteers to read with children this summer and for books to be given to elementary children through United Way Reading Adventure, a program of United Way Profit In Education.

To connect children with a reading volunteer during the summer, United Way will partner with the following programs: 1) YMCA school-age summer childcare program; 2) City of St. Joseph REC Center school-age childcare program; 3) KinderCare summer childcare program; 4) Best Youth Summer Camp and 4) the St. Joseph School District extended summer program at Parkway, Lake Contrary, Lindbergh, Humboldt and Edison elementary schools. Each program is held at a different time, and volunteers are needed from May through July to read with students. Volunteers will read with students for 45-60 minutes at a time, and volunteers can sign up to read once, a few times or on a regular schedule. Students in the United Way Reading Adventure program will also receive books throughout the summer to encourage reading at home, so new and gently used books for children ages 6-12 are needed as well.

Launched in 2011, United Way Reading Adventure works to help students maintain their reading skills over the summer months when school is out. The program follows a model that has been successfully used by HOPE Outreach Ministries, Inc. for many years.

Individuals and organizations interested in volunteering to read, donating books or conducting a book drive can contact Jodi Bloemker at 364-2381 or jodi.bloemker@stjosephunitedway.org.

Dollar Tree to build large distribution center in Warrensburg

Posted on May 8, 2017

Missouri House Speaker Pro Tem Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg) (Photo courtesy Missourinet)

(Missourinet) – Dollar Tree’s decision to build a distribution center in western Missouri’s Warrensburg is being praised by a key state lawmaker.

According to state officials, Dollar Tree plans to invest $110 million to build a 1.2 million square foot distribution center in Johnson County’s Warrensburg.

State Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg) said Dollar Tree is expected to create 375 new jobs within three years.

“This is a great win not only for Johnson County and Warrensburg, but all of the surrounding communities, including everyone in the state of Missouri,” Hoskins said.

Senator Hoskins said the new facility will be built in the Brady Commerce Park, which is located on Highway 13 in Warrensburg. Construction is underway.

Hoskins serves on the Senate Economic Development Committee.

“It’s great that they (Dollar Tree) have realized that we have a very talented, hard-working workforce here in the state of Missouri,” Hoskins said. “And I’m glad that they decided to put their distribution center here.”

Dollar Tree is based in Virginia. Its website says it’s a national company “with thousands of stores conveniently located in shopping centers and malls in all 48 contiguous states.”

The company was trading at about $39 a share in 2013. It closed at about $82 a share on Friday.

Hoskins said this is a “win-win situation” for Dollar Tree and hundreds of workers. Dollar Tree said the facility will see about 150 to 200 inbound/outbound trucks daily.

Hoskins represents eight counties in the Missouri Senate, including his home county of Johnson. The other western Missouri counties he represents are Caldwell, Carroll, Howard, Lafayette, Livingston, Ray and Saline.

He is also praising the decision by Tara Industries to build what the company calls the “largest privately funded agricultural, industrial park in the United States” in northwest Missouri.

Hoskins said that Tara has broken ground in the small Carroll County town of Tina, located between Carrollton and Chillicothe.

“Tara Technologies is going into business there. They’re planning on creating 400 to 500 jobs over the next ten years,” Hoskins said. “That’s a huge win for Carroll County as well.”

A groundbreaking ceremony took place in April. The Chillicothe “Constitution-Tribune” reports Tara Industries plans to begin producing bio-diesel, corn syrup and fish bait. The company also plans a rail loop for product transport.

Truman Day is a Missouri state holiday

Posted on May 8, 2017May 8, 2017

World War II veteran Francis Pearman of Moberly visiting the Missouri Capitol with other Honor Flight participants. He stands next to a bust of Harry Truman, who he remembers fondly. Photo courtesy Missourinet.

(Missourinet) – Monday is Harry Truman Day, which is a Missouri and county holiday.

Most state and county offices are closed on Monday, except emergency services like the Missouri State Highway Patrol and county sheriff’s departments.

The Missouri House and Senate are both scheduled to be in session on Monday.

The holiday honors Harry Truman (D), who served as America’s 33rd President from 1945 to 1953.

Truman approved using atomic bombs to end World War II, and also helped launch the Marshall Plan.

His “Truman Doctrine” in 1947 was aimed at stopping communism.

Harry Truman was born on May 8, 1884 in Lamar, Missouri.

He was an Army captain in World War I and served in Europe.

He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1934. He warned about corporate greed and the power of special interests. Truman was re-elected to the Senate in 1940.

President Franklin Roosevelt (D) chose Truman as his running mate in 1944. Roosevelt was re-elected to his fourth term that year. When Roosevelt died in 1945, Truman became President.

Truman won the 1948 presidential election, beating Republican Thomas Dewey.

Truman died in December 1972, at the age of 88.

The Harry Truman Presidential Library is in Independence.

Report shows nearly 1 million Missouri as food insecure

Posted on May 7, 2017May 5, 2017

By Missouri News Service

More than 30 percent of the Missourians who are considered food insecure are children. (Juan Esteban Zapata) Photo courtesy Missouri News Service

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Nearly a million people are food insecure in Missouri, meaning they don’t always have enough food or access to food to meet their needs, according to the latest “Map the Meal Gap” report by the group Feeding America.

The overall food-insecurity rate for Missouri is close to 16 percent, with some counties experiencing more need than others.

Ozarks Food Harvest serves 28 counties in southwest Missouri, working with dozens of hunger-relief groups.

Ozarks’ communications coordinator, Christine Temple, says about a quarter of the residents in that part of the state seek help from charities at any given time because they just don’t have enough to eat.

“In addition to the people who are food insecure, there are some people that are dealing with unemployment, under-employment, poverty,” she says. “People that might be having a particular situation in their life, a circumstantial event – a car breaks down, someone gets sick.”

Temple says more than half the households in Missouri that receive some kind of food assistance include either a child or a senior – in many cases, both.

She noted that many people believe hunger is a big-city problem, but that isn’t the case in Missouri, where food banks can’t reach all who need their help.

“So many rural communities that are completely reliant on the one grocery store that’s within their town,” she adds. “And if that goes out of business or if that doesn’t provide food that people can afford, that’s another thing we worry about.”

The “Map the Meal Gap” report notes that Missouri’s food-insecurity rate has dropped a little from last year. It says Arkansas’ rate tops 18 percent, and Mississippi has the nation’s highest, at just over 21 percent.

Troopers to inspect boats for National Safe Boating Week

Posted on May 7, 2017May 5, 2017

Troopers will be on hand later this month in northwest Missouri to inspect boats for the upcoming season.

As part of National Safe Boating Week, boaters are being encouraged to arrange for a thorough inspection of their boat prior to taking it on the water for the season. The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s marine operations troopers will be available Saturday, May 20th to inspect the required equipment on boats to make sure boaters are in compliance with state law.

At 10 a.m. on May 20th troopers will be at both the Big Lake boat ramp in Holt County and the French Bottom’s boat ramp near the Frontier Casino in St. Joseph. For other locations in the state CLICK HERE.

According to a news release, National Safe Boating Week which runs May 20 through the 26th is purposefully scheduled just prior to Memorial Day weekend, which many people consider the kickoff to the boating season.

Col. Sandra K. Karsten, superintendent with the patrol said in addition to making sure your boat equipment is in compliance with state law, make sure you are familiar with laws regarding boat operation and traditional navigational rules.

“When boaters understand and obey the law, and vessels are in good operating order, everyone’s experience on the water becomes safer.” Karsten said.

Missouri law requires everyone born after January 1, 1984, who operates a vessel on Missouri lakes to possess an approved boating safety identification card and photo ID. According to the MSHP, in 2016, there were 182 boating accidents reported in Missouri, with 104 injuries, and 16 fatalities.

Fungus killing endangered snakes in Missouri

Posted on May 7, 2017May 5, 2017

Small numbers of the Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake live in Chariton, Linn, and Holt counties. Photo courtesy Missouri News Service

By Missouri News Service

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A face-disfiguring fungal disease is threatening to wipe out a snake species that’s already a candidate for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. The Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake has been disappearing across the country because of habitat loss and environmental stresses.

Epidemiologist and wildlife veterinarian, Dr. Matt Allender at the University of Illinois, says they’ve been dying from Chrysosporium, a fungus that has plagued the pet reptile industry but isn’t normally found in the wild.

He says although it may have been around for decades, scientists have only been seeing snakes die of the disease for several years in the Midwest and Northeast, and now they’re finding it in parts of the Southwest. He says most snakes infected with it die, and that could potentially wipe the species out.

“If 15 to 20 percent, a fifth of the population, get this every year – and 90 percent is the true mortality rate – then recruitment and birth rate cannot sustain that long term,” he says.

Small numbers of the Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake live in Chariton, Linn and Holt counties. The disease that’s killing it has been discovered in 14 snake species in at least 16 states.

Allender was able to develop a quick and minimally invasive test for the fungus, and now has found a way to treat infected snakes by using over-the-counter nebulizers to pump medicine into aquariums.

“Not only does the snake get some of the drugs, they got the therapeutic levels within 15 minutes,” he explains. “We also saw that the vapor was landing on the skin of the snake, and that’s where all of the crusts and infections were, so the animal was getting treated from the inside and from the outside.”

The fungus acts much like White Nose Syndrome, which is killing millions of bats in the United States.

City of St. Joseph taking enrollments for Summer Youth Tennis

Posted on May 7, 2017May 5, 2017

(News release) – Registration for the Summer Youth Tennis Program is available through the Parks, Recreation and Civic Facilities Department until June 23, 2017. This summer program is for ages 5-10 and will occur during the months of June and July at the Noyes Tennis Center. The program will be divided into three age divisions.

The program will follow the guidelines of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) 10 and Under Tennis. This program promotes an organized process, focusing on teaching the game of tennis to youth from 5 to 10 years of age in a fun, positive environment. The city said teaching methods, modified equipment, and kid-tailored court size lead to fun and skill development from the very beginning of the program. The process of 10 and Under Tennis helps kids learn, rally, and play quickly in a way that is both enjoyable and rewarding. The Parks, Recreation and Civic Facilities Department will have a supply of modified rackets and balls available for the use of the registered participants.

The St. Joseph Parks, Recreation and Civic Facilities Department is administering this youth tennis program, with instruction provided by trained tennis staff.

Cost of the program is $30 per participant, per session. Each session will consist of two 45-minute lessons per week for a four week period. The session will begin on Monday, June 26 and run through July 20. Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday lesson times will be available and filled according to level of interest.

The city said all attempts will be made to group children according to both age and ability, but some accommodations may have to be made, depending on the number of registered participants.

To register youth into the program complete a registration form, available at the St. Joseph Parks Administration Building, 1920 Grand Avenue, St. Joseph, MO 64505. For more information about the youth tennis program, contact Jannie Castanada, 816-271-5515 or David Cavin at 816-271-5518.

Pony Express Museum to hold Day Camp

Posted on May 6, 2017May 5, 2017

Pony Express Museum Photo via Wikipedia Commons — Pony Express Museum
Photo via Wikipedia Commons

The Pony Express Museum has announced its 2017 Day Camp schedule.

The Pony Express Museum “Day Camp, 2017” will be held for two weeks, July 10-13 at the Museum from 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. All students entering grades 1-5 beginning in the fall of 2017 are eligible to participate. All campers will receive a camp T-shirt and lunch will be provided from 12-1 p.m. A cookout will be a part of the activities.

The four-day camp will include arts and crafts of the 1860s, educational games, and some surprises as well. All arts and crafts supplies will be furnished. The theme for 2017 is “Hall of Riders”. Each day the students will spend time in the Pony School for educational and new activities. The “Hall of Riders’, the museum’s newest exhibit, will be the center of programs for the children.

The cost of the camp is $40 per camper with a limited number of scholarships available. Call Cindy Daffron at the museum, (816) 279-5059 or 1-800-530-5930, or e-mail pxdirector@ponyexpress.net for more information. Monday there were less than 24 spaces available for Week #1 and #2.

Pickers’ Paradise Flea Market coming to Troy this summer

Posted on May 6, 2017May 5, 2017

Frankie Barnes of Troy, KS is delighted to check out a small sampling of the many unique items that will be offered for sale by vendors at the SLK Pickers’ Paradise Indoor Flea Market at the Community Building in Troy, KS on June 2 and 3. Antiques and vintage items pictured with Frankie include a rustic sidewalk edger, Mickey Mouse lamp and phone, “Like” brand pop bottle, wooden Bissell carpet sweeper, typewriter, religious and children’s prints, movie reels, and sewing machine. (Courtesy Photo)

(News release) – Organizers of this year’s SLK Pickers’ Paradise Indoor Flea Market in Troy, KS believe they have found the perfect recipe for an exceptional flea market for 2017. They are creating a blend of longstanding vendors, who will have a fresh assortment of wares this year, and a fine group of new vendors, who will have a impressive selection of special items in their booths, as well.

The sixth annual SLK Pickers’ Paradise will be held on Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3 inside the Troy Community Building, 1225 Last Chance Rd. in Troy, KS. The event will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free.

“It’s always exciting to see the variety of goods our vendors bring to Pickers,’” says Martha-Jean Rockey, president of the SLK. “Pickers’ is not quite an antique show, not quite a flea market, and not quite a crafts fair, but a little bit of all three. You can find genuine antiques and vintage items as well as lovely handmade pieces.”

“This is the major way the SLK raises funds for our scholarships,” she adds, “and we hope the public comes to support our vendors and thus our scholarships.”

According to Janet Harness, organizer of the flea market, this year’s Pickers’ Paradise will consist of about 30 booths featuring vintage items, antiques, dishes and glassware, barn wood creations, baby quilts, crocheted articles, handmade cards, glass etching, wooden scrollwork, cups and saucers, handkerchiefs, handmade signs, crosses, art objects, crafts, books, record albums, purses, pictures, vintage household items, and much, much more.

Harness adds that Sarah Gerving of Gower, MO, who operates Sarah’s #Comfortfood, will have a concession stand inside the building at the flea market both days. Gerving “pays it forward” by using money she makes from her concession stand to feed area residents who are food insecure. She will be preparing all kinds of tasty food items for breakfast, lunch, and snacks at the event.

The SLK, which stands for Seekers of Light and Knowledge, is a women’s literary and service organization. The group will use its proceeds from the indoor flea market to benefit the SLK Scholarship fund. For more information about this event, contact Janet Harness at 785-850-0184, Martha-Jean Rockey at 785-985-2538, or Mary Winder at 785-985-2519.